New grants to give Irish homes access to electric vehicle charging

The government has launched a new office to help consumers, the public sector and businesses make the switch to electric vehicles.

A new range of grants and initiatives have been announced to boost Ireland’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs).

This includes a new apartment charging subsidy, to make it easier for people living in apartments and multi-family homes to charge an EV.

Also, the subsidy for home chargers will be expanded so that renters and homeowners can apply whether they have an electric car or not.

The grants are part of a new dedicated office launched today (July 21) called Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland. This agency wants to support consumers, the public sector and companies to continue making the switch to zero-emission vehicles.

Speaking at the launch, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan, TD, said the office will help Ireland meet its “ambitious target” of having 945,000 electric vehicles by 2030.

“We need to change the way we move around our country so that we don’t rely on expensive, carbon-emitting and polluting fossil fuels,” Ryan said. “One of the ways we can help decarbonise our transportation industry is by accelerating the introduction of electric vehicles, both for passenger cars and commercial vehicle fleets.”

To support the growth of the commercial vehicle fleet, a new trial has been announced that will allow companies to test an EV for free for at least three months.

There will also be new funding from the agency to help sports clubs set up a network of publicly accessible chargers for members and visitors.

An extension of the current electric van subsidy to large vans is expected later this year.

Ryan said there is “a hunger” for a switch as there has been an increase in purchases of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles over the past year.

“I hope the grants and initiatives we are launching today, together with Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland, will make it easier for people and businesses to keep making the switch and then be able to charge their cars wherever they live. said Ryan.

The new initiatives follow a new funding announcement earlier this month to set up 90 fast EV charging stations across Ireland through a €15 million investment across the island.

A survey last year found that Ireland lags behind other European countries when it comes to charging infrastructure for EVs.

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